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Dec 4th, '11, 16:32
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Would appreciate some education re "Yun Cui" green tea

by fire_snake » Dec 4th, '11, 16:32

This is becoming one of my favourite green teas (Long Jing and Stephane Erler's Bi Lou Chun being the others.) This Yun Cui offered by David's Tea is actually quite good, though I haven't tried any others of its kind. I have a feeling it's in danger of being discontinued by David's Tea for some reason (or maybe I don't like putting all my tea in one basket), so I'd like to learn a little bit more about it, including where else it can be ordered.

Some brief (though in my opinion precious little) information:

http://www.davidstea.com/yun-cui-organic

http://www.evanorteas.com/wuyuan-yun-cu ... ganic.html

This tea is just marvellous - there's a spicy and sweet, buttery warmth to it. The aroma is sweet and nutty, I daresay cotton-candy like. Hard to describe accurately. These terms can be rather beguiling.

The dry leaves:

Image

Image

Thanks.

Christian

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Dec 4th, '11, 18:56
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Re: Would appreciate some education re "Yun Cui" green tea

by Poohblah » Dec 4th, '11, 18:56

To me, it looks like a blend of a bunch of different teas.

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Dec 4th, '11, 19:52
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Re: Would appreciate some education re "Yun Cui" green tea

by SlientSipper » Dec 4th, '11, 19:52

Poohblah wrote:To me, it looks like a blend of a bunch of different teas.

Quite concurred.
Prehaps its a blend of greens and/or whites and blacks?
Have you searched or asked the website?

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Dec 4th, '11, 20:30
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Re: Would appreciate some education re "Yun Cui" green tea

by fire_snake » Dec 4th, '11, 20:30

That's interesting. Not too bad for a blend, in my opinion, though it might not be what connoisseurs would look for.

I've asked the store and predictably the bubbly sales-lady wasn't aware of its origins. I'll have to call the company on Monday.

However, I do see the "Yun Cui" name applied to teas from other vendors.

Thanks for the replies.

Christian

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Dec 5th, '11, 07:19
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Re: Would appreciate some education re "Yun Cui" green tea

by sherubtse » Dec 5th, '11, 07:19

Haven't tried this one, but it is pretty cheap, and, as mentioned, probaly a blend (which is not necessarily a bad thing). Have you tried their Dragonwell? It is a relatively new addition to their stock.

Let us know what other info you gather about it.

Best wishes,
sheubtse

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Dec 7th, '11, 10:34
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Re: Would appreciate some education re "Yun Cui" green tea

by fire_snake » Dec 7th, '11, 10:34

Not much to report back as yet.

I'm drinking some of their Dragonwell right now, actually. I've sampled a few (at length) from different sources - nothing on the order of what one might get from Red Circle Tea, but I'll say that the Long Jing from David's is very decent. The leaves are large and beautifully shaped, no sticks or stems. The aroma is, to me, classic LJ, and particularly sweet. There's a certain toffee-like sweetness to it, especially as one gets to the bottom of the cup.

It stands up to very high temperatures, no bitterness. It doesn't go flat or tasteless even toward the fourth or fifth infusion. It's more sweet and somewhat chestnutty rather than strong and vegetal. The aroma really mingles well with the flavour. So there's some character there throughout.

I find that at some point during the course of several infusions LJ will turn somewhat astringent. Not necessarily in a bad way, but it will become evident, and might even emerge as a dominant element. Not really the case with David's LJ. Even with longer infusions and higher temperatures, the astringency is just in the doorway, but never really makes it through. The sweetness and light chestnut tones remain at the fore.

I think David's Tea's Dragonwell has good things to offer. It's worth a try.

My preferred brewing method for LJ in general is with a gaiwan (one of the gorgeous, super thin-walled, pure white ones from The Tea Gallery), using water just off boiling that has been allowed to cool for about 30 seconds, pouring against the wall of the gaiwan rather than directly into or onto the leaves. This method is especially nice for the first infusion. The leaves will float on top in a semi-wet state, making for a marvellous olfactory experience.

Christian

Mar 31st, '12, 00:47
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Re: Would appreciate some education re "Yun Cui" green tea

by mbanu » Mar 31st, '12, 00:47

Wuyuan is an area of Jiangxi Province in China that is famous for its green teas. Yun Cui is one of several styles produced there, such as Ming Mei and Xian Zhi.

In the 19th century, tea from Wuyuan was known as "Moyune", and was a very popular export.

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Mar 31st, '12, 20:18
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Re: Would appreciate some education re "Yun Cui" green tea

by gingkoseto » Mar 31st, '12, 20:18

SlientSipper wrote:
Poohblah wrote:To me, it looks like a blend of a bunch of different teas.

Quite concurred.
Prehaps its a blend of greens and/or whites and blacks?
Have you searched or asked the website?
Sometimes younger leaves appear darker green color after processed and larger leaves appear lighter green color. This can be seen in some green teas and greener style TGY.

I guess Yun Cui is "Cloud Green" in Chinese. It's a widely used name and has been adopted by quite a few producers in Jiang Xi, and probably other provinces as well. Usually it indicates green tea produced from high mountain. From the photo, the tea looks similar to the Ming Mei type.

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